Author's Preface
Several more days slipped by.
The sketch remained beneath Luna's bed.
She still hadn't found the courage to share it.
Life quietly settled back into its familiar rhythm.
There were mornings spent studying.
Afternoons filled with housework.
Evenings passed helping her mother before finding a little time to herself.
None of it felt unusual.
None of it felt burdensome.
It was simply home.
That morning was quieter than most.
There were no dishes waiting in the sink.
Her father had brought home takeout the night before, leaving the kitchen unusually clean.
For once...
Luna had time.
She sat near the window with the novel she had been reading over the past week.
The winter sunlight rested across the pages while she disappeared into another few chapters.
Every now and then, she smiled to herself.
The story had reached a part she couldn't stop reading.
By the time she closed the book, nearly an hour had passed.
She stretched her arms before quietly making her way to the kitchen.
A glass of water.
A small tray of medicine.
She carried both carefully to her mother's room.
"Morning, Mom."
Her mother smiled.
"Morning."
Luna helped her sit up before placing another pillow behind her back.
"There..."
"That should be more comfortable."
She handed her the glass first.
Then the medicine.
Luna waited patiently until every tablet had been swallowed.
"There we go."
She set the empty glass back onto the tray, then reached for her phone.
A familiar melody began to fill the room.
Old retro songs.
It had quietly become one of their little traditions.
The room remained peaceful.
Warm winter sunlight drifted through the curtains.
Outside, the world carried on as always.
Inside, neither of them seemed in much of a hurry.
Her mother softly hummed along to one of the songs.
Luna laughed.
"You still remember all the lyrics."
"I've heard them more than you have."
"I guess that's true."
They both laughed together.
The conversation faded as another song began playing.
Luna leaned back in her chair.
The music continued softly in the background.
Without meaning to...
she remembered something.
"I just try to capture beauty on paper, that's all."
A small smile found its way onto her face.
She wondered what the stranger had been doing lately.
It had been over a week since they had last spoken.
The thought stayed only for a moment.
Like remembering an old conversation that had quietly made her day.
Nothing more.
The next song began.
Her mother gently tapped her fingers against the blanket, following the rhythm.
Luna smiled again.
For now...
this was enough.
She didn't need anything else.
The morning passed quietly.
Just as she liked it.